


Aunt's Instinct

by incorrectbatfam



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batwoman (Comic), DCU (Comics)
Genre: 5 Times, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incorrectbatfam/pseuds/incorrectbatfam
Summary: Five times Kate was there for the batkids and one time they returned the favor.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Kate Kane, Dick Grayson & Kate Kane, Kate Kane & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & Duke Thomas, Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Stephanie Brown & Kate Kane, Tim Drake & Kate Kane
Comments: 3
Kudos: 115





	Aunt's Instinct

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Crystalinastar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystalinastar/gifts).



~ 1 ~

“He said he doesn’t need me.”

Kate froze the second those words reached her ears, almost not believing what she was hearing. She watched as the child wiped his eyes with a green glove. A tiny whimper escaped his lips, so quiet that it almost got lost in the wind that rushed over the rooftop. Gravel crunched under her boots as she carefully stepped forward, as if the boy was an animal that’d flee with even the slightest disturbance. Kate had never seen the assassin baby look so small. He always seemed like a carbon copy of his father—thick-skinned, hard as stone.

He quickly swiped the tears away as she sat down cross-legged next to him, but underneath the domino, she could spot a pink puffiness lining his eyes.

“Father said Batman doesn’t need Robin. He… he doesn’t need me. He said he regretted bringing me back.” His voice cracked at the last part.

Kate put an arm around his shoulders, and the fact that she could wrap all the way around reminded her of just how fucked up all of this was.

“Oh, Damian.”

She was truly at a loss for words. Sure, Batman was tough, but to say that to his own flesh and blood… 

She pulled Damian close.

Kate half-anticipated him to pull away; to hiss and scratch and fight back like an angry cat. 

Her heart broke a little more when he did none of that.

She made a mental note to punch Bruce in the face the next time she saw him.

“Your value is not determined by who does and doesn’t need you,” she said. “Bruce messed up when he said that stuff to you.” She wiped his cheek with her thumb. 

“But what do I do?” he asked.

“You,” she replied, “don’t need to worry about a thing, kiddo. Leave it to your Aunt Kate.”

  
  


~ 2 ~

_ Ring ring _ .

Kate rolled over and covered her head with the pillow.

_ Ring ring _ .

She sat up, half-conscious. Without looking at the caller ID, she answered the phone.

“Who is it?” she asked, stifling a yawn and checking the time.

“Hey, Aunt Kate,” a girl’s voice said from the other end. “Remember when you said I can call you for anything?”

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Yeah, Steph. I remember. What’s up?”

Kate counted the dots on her ceiling as she waited for a reply, absentmindedly wondering what those things were.

Steph answered, “This is gonna sound stupid but… I had a bad dream.”

A staple for any Bat or Robin. Kate was more than familiar with them.

“It’s not stupid. We all get nightmares. Do you wanna talk about it?” she asked.

She heard the shifting of a blanket on the other side.

“I had a babysitter once,” Steph said, “a long time ago.”

Kate nodded, forgetting that Steph couldn’t see her. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“He was a sketchy guy. Never trusted the guy but my parents left me with him anyway. One day, he…”

There was a choked sob. Kate silently cursed the fact that she was miles away.

“Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I still see him and–” She hiccuped.

“Hey,” Kate said soothingly. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“It feels too real.”

“I know it does and I wish I could take it away,” said Kate. “The only thing I can do is assure you is that it’s not real and make sure you know that I won’t let anyone hurt you again, ever.”

Stephanie sniffled. “Thanks. It still hurts, though.”

“I know.”

A hush fell over the line. Kate’s head turned towards the window. The first light of day streamed through the wooden shutters; purple, like her niece’s costume. It illuminated the basic shapes of the bedroom—a lamp here, a skirt draped over a chair there. Not letting go of the phone, Kate threw the covers off. The floor was cold against her feet as she shuffled to the window.

“When’s the last time you saw a sunrise?” she asked.

The teen hesitated. “I don’t remember.”

Kate opened the blinds and cracked the window open just an inch. Crisp, cool air flooded the room and the sound of morning birds hit her ears.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Wanna watch it together?”

Box springs creaked.

“Yeah. That sounds nice.”

  
  


~ 3 ~

Kate plucked the smoldering cigarette from Jason’s lips and squashed it under her boot.

“Didn’t Barbara say she’ll make you eat a pack if she saw you doing that?”

Jason scoffed. “What does it matter? Babs ain’t here, is she?”

Kate gave him a  _ look _ —the same one as Batman; the one that further cemented her role as the (superior) female version of him. 

“You promised you’d stop.”

“I also promised Dickhead I’d give him his bike back.”

Kate smoothed out her cape and leaned against the fire escape railing, watching. She’d seen the rise and fall of many Robins, and yet none puzzled her like Jason Todd.

She tilted her head and asked, “Why do you do it?”

Jason scoffed. “What d’you think?”

“I’m not trying to jump to conclusions,” Kate said. “I want to know the facts. What’s the reason?”

Jason shrugged as he leaned against the wall. Arms crossed, with a distant look in his eye, he looked less like the big bad Red Hood and more like the scruffy lost boy Bruce first took in. 

“S’ different every time,” he said. 

“And what was it this time?”

He fiddled with his jacket zipper. “Got into a fight.”

“You’re a vigilante,” she said. “Isn’t that what you do every day?”

“Not that kind of fight.”

Kate’s expression softened.

“Roy and I… we got into another argument,” he said. “Idiot thinks he’s finally kicked the habit. Thinks he’ll be fine if he has just one…” Jason shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair; the white streak sticking up in all directions. “He’s my best friend. I’m just lookin’ out for him.”

Kate shot him a glare when he tried to reach for his lighter.

“I’m not gonna be your middleman—that’s between you and him—but I do have connections,” she said. “Folks—professionals—who can help him. This stuff is… it’s frustrating, trust me. But you slipping into old habits isn’t going to do any good.”

She held out a gloved hand. Jason grumbled something under his breath as he handed her the box.

“Y’know I can go out and buy more.”

“But will you?”

He sighed bitterly. “No, I won’t.”

  
  


~ 4 ~

“Richard John Grayson. Fancy seeing you here,” Kate said as she slid onto a barstool. 

The young man’s lips quirked into a smile. “The feeling’s mutual.”

“What’ll it be?” she asked.

Dick glanced at the menu card. “Tequila sunset?”

“Good choice.” She slid some cash to the bartender. “Two tequila sunsets, please. Keep the change.”

“So…” Dick drummed his fingers on the counter. “What brings you to Blüdhaven?”

She glanced around at the semi-crowded bar.

“Family business.”

Kate thanked the bartender as the drinks were delivered and handed one to Dick.

“Lemme guess,” he said, amused. “B doesn’t want me in on it?”

Kate playfully rolled her eyes. “And I thought he was the World’s Greatest Detective.”

As she sipped her drink, Dick asked, “How are things back in Gotham?”

She chuckled. “Still a costumed freakshow, I assume.”

Dick laughed and playfully elbowed her. “You know what I mean, Kate. How’s the family?”

She stirred the ice cubes with her straw. Kate couldn’t remember the last time she actually visited Gotham, let alone stopped by Wayne Manor long enough to catch up on more than case files. But she heard stories—mostly typical crimes and villain’s schemes, but also the occasional message from home, like a voicemail lost in a bungled connection.

“I haven’t been home for a while,” she said. “I’m sure everything’s the same.”

Dick had somehow turned his regular straw into a bendy one, accordion-like creases and all.

He asked. “Do you miss it?”

She shrugged. “Occasionally. And you?”

Dick bit his lip. 

“Every day,” he said. “Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision coming out here. Blüdhaven needs a hero but… I need mine, too.”

“There’s no shame in going back,” she said. “Everyone’s gotta return to their roots at some point.”

“Think you’ll go back someday?”

“As much as I try to deny it, I know I will. And I know you’ll do the same.”

“So you and I have something in common then,” Dick stated.

Kate raised her glass. “Cheers, I’ll drink to that.”

  
  


~ 5 ~

The last thing Kate expected to see upon entering the Batcave was marigold petals scattered on the floor and a tiny altar set up with a Flash ring and a pair of sunglasses and two photos—one of a punk-ish Kryptonian, another of a poofy-haired speedster. And she didn’t expect to find Red Robin kneeling in front, lighting a candle.

“Blue Beetle said it might help,” Tim said, “with, like, closure and stuff.”

She parked her motorcycle and took off the cowl.

“I figured it doesn’t hurt to try,” he said. “Worst that happens is it doesn’t work, just like everything else I’ve done.”

He drew one knee up to his chest. Kate placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt a pang in her chest when she realized just how young the two people in the pictures were.

Tim looked on with a blank expression. 

“Everyone thought it was a Robin thing when I didn’t cry at either one’s funeral,” he said.

The candles flickered in front of the images. Her reflection didn’t show in the glass frames, but Tim’s did.

“I wanted to. I wanted to scream and punch a wall, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t. It’s been, what, a few months? And I still…  _ can’t _ .”

At a loss for words, Kate instead wrapped her arms around the boy. Her thick cape engulfed him like a safety blanket.

Tim’s voice cracked. “They were my best friends.”

One hand made a way to his hair and Kate stroked it gently. Slender arms wrapped around her body, squeezing tightly. In the dim lighting, she spotted a single teardrop escape the corner of his eye.

“I miss them.”

“I know.”

Kate held the boy gently, not saying a word. Tim would have his tears and his closure in due time; it wasn’t her job to force it. But she’d be there as long as he needed.

  
  


~ +1 ~

“Whatever it is you’re here to offer, save it,” she said to the two figured who landed at either side of her on the roof. “I don’t need any of your pity.”

“That’s good,” a boy’s voice said, “‘cause our next shipment of it doesn’t come in ‘til Monday.”

“Oh, hey Signal. Black Bat,” Kate said. “What are you guys doing out here? I thought it was your night off.”

“You look like you needed help,” Cass replied.

To Kate’s left, Black Bat crouched like she wasn’t sure whether to settle down or take off. To her right, Signal sat cross-legged, fiddling with his escrima sticks. The air on the rooftop stood so still she could hear a lone cricket somewhere on it.

“Harper told us what happened,” Duke said. “Wanna talk about it?”

Kate let out a single, bitter laugh.

“What’s there to talk about? I was moving fast, she wasn’t even out, and we both have responsibilities that took up all our time,” she said. “It was doomed from the start.” She rested her chin in her hands. “Kind of a waste of time, in retrospect.”

“Oh,” Duke said. “I don’t really know what to say without sounding…”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved. “I appreciate the effort.”

A moment passed before Cass asked, “Were you happy?”

Kate looked at her, wondering if the girl had heard a word of her mini-rant.

“Cass… Renee and I broke up,” Kate said. “That’s not something to be happy about.”

Cass shook her head and asked again, “ _ Were you happy? _ ”

Kate mulled it over as she gazed out at the city. The shimmering skylines reminded her of how she and Renee soared through the night, fighting meathead criminals hand-in-hand. Nearby, the neon sign of a disco club blinked with a blindingly bright image of a pinup girl; that reminded Kate of dancing and drunken karaoke renditions of ‘80s songs. Even looking right next to her, Duke’s escrima sticks were simply bigger versions of the chopsticks that Kate, embarrassingly, didn’t know how to use on her and Renee’s first date. 

It reminded her of an old saying that she couldn’t place her finger on.

Duke almost seemed to read her mind when he said, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Kate smiled and pulled her niece and nephew, one under each arm.

“You were happy?” Cass asked.

“Yes,” she answered. “I am.”


End file.
